ECW Weekender: 155th Anniversary Event at Cool Spring
Save the date! Save the date! July 20, 2019
Pack your cold water bottles and some snacks and head to Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. Located east of Winchester and Berryville, Cool Spring saw Civil War fighting on July 16-20, 1864, as Early retreated away from Washington and back into the shelter Virginia’s Valley.
Go explore this history and the preservation/interpretive efforts at this unique battlefield site. What better weekend than the anniversary of the battle?
Shenandoah University’s McCormick Civil War Institute is hosting a special 155th commemoration event at the University’s River Campus at Cool Spring Battlefield located at 1400 Parker Lane, Bluemont, Virginia. This event is FREE and open to the public, and donations are gratefully accepted. No pre-registration is required for this event.
Schedule of Day’s Activities:
9 a.m.: Site opens
10:15 a.m.-Noon: Walking tour of Battle of Cool Spring with Jonathan Noyalas (Shenandoah University). Tour will include vignettes with living historians.
Noon-1 p.m.: Lunch on your own (please note that there are no food vendors on site, please bring a picnic lunch and enjoy it either in the air-conditioned lodge or the shade of our pavilion).
1-1:45 p.m.: “Dreams of War & Peace”: The Remarkable Night Life of Civil War America with Jonathan White (Christopher Newport University).
2-2:45 p.m.:”Follow Him to the Death”: Sheridan, Early, and the Shenandoah Valley in the Summer of 1864 with Jennifer Murray (Oklahoma State University).
3-4 p.m.: Unveiling of “Through Their Eyes: An Augmented Reality Experience at Cool Spring”
Throughout the day, the battlefield’s trails will be open for self-guided tours. Check the website for these free guides which can be downloaded or printed for easy exploration. (Click Here for the PDF Guide)
You’ll also find books for sale, thanks to Harpers Ferry National Historical Park’s bookstore which will have volumes for sale on site!
Any questions email MCWI’s director, Jonathan Noyalas, jnoyalas01@su.edu or phone 540-665-4501. Or visit the event’s press release and information page: https://www.su.edu/arts/special-programs/mccormick-civil-war-institute-2/battle-of-cool-spring-tour-guide/
I applaud Shenandoah University for offering this event free to the public! Thank you! Unfortunately, all of the fighting took place on the west side of the Shenandoah River. The Federal retreat route and artillery positions during the battle were on the east side. It would have been nice if SU got permission from the Trappist Monks who own property on the west side to allow the public to tour the combat area on that day (its only once a year!).